Currently, electrical power is supplied in most wind turbines by the use of cables. The cables are mounted on cable trays. However, due to movement of the tower support structure, which can be as much as four inches on a twenty foot section of tower, mechanical breakage of the cable tray supports has been observed.
The use of bus duct power delivery systems in wind turbine towers and in low amperage applications is not as economical as cables. Further the use of bus duct is not suitable for markets such as wind turbine towers because of the rigid nature of the bus duct and because the flat conductors of the bus duct generate excessive magnetic fields that require shielding.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a bus bar system that is able to compete in price with cables, provide reliability in case of short circuit conditions, and operate in vibrational environments.